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Avian Flu

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Byford, for asking whether we are prepared for an outbreak of avian flu. The World Health Organisation has stated that the avian flu virus H5N1,"““poses a continuing and potentially pandemic threat””." Our Chief Medical Officer has stated,"““most experts believe that it is not a question of whether there will be another severe influenza pandemic, but when””." Everyone must hope that this will not happen, but we must not become complacent. We should all be on the alert. I must declare an interest. I have chickens, peacocks and doves at our house. On the estate there are masses of pheasants, grouse, ducks, geese and wild birds of all descriptions—except sparrows, which have disappeared. I have a pony stud and a small riding centre. The symptoms of avian influenza include fever, sore throat and cough. The severe cases progress to pneumonia, which is fatal in some individuals. The symptoms are similar to other viral infections and the diagnosis can be confirmed only by laboratory identification of the virus. The avian virus is highly contagious and spreads rapidly among poultry flocks. When we had such a devastating time with foot and mouth disease and we now have a threat of avian flu, why have the Government downgraded the government veterinary investigation centres? Surely at the moment they should be given top priority. I hope that the Minister will give your Lordships and answer today on this matter but, if not, I hope that there will be an explanation as soon as possible. Rigorous disinfection of poultry farms is necessary. Recently I asked a farm supplier which disinfectant was best for poultry houses, but my secretary was given the answer that he did not know. I asked a Question for Written Answer to make the need for such disinfectants more widely known, but the Minister, the noble Lord, Lord Bach, referred me to Defra’s website, where I found a mass of names—about 100 of them. Another agricultural merchant recommended to me a disinfectant called Perax (2), but I have read that the virus is killed by heat and by disinfectants such as formalin and iodine compounds. Perhaps they are all as good as each other. The virus can survive at cool temperatures in contaminated manure for at least three months. In water, the virus can survive for up to four days at 22 degrees centigrade. Those figures demonstrate that, without the implementation of strict hygiene measures, the virus may remain as a potential source of infection for months. With regard to the highly pathogenic form of the disease, studies have shown that a single gram of contaminated manure can contain enough virus to infect 1 million birds. Should the virus arrive, do the Government recommend vaccination of poultry? I think that it would be wise if basic guidelines went out to people working at ground level, such as gamekeepers, who might find dead birds. They need to be told to wear protective gloves and to double-bag the birds if they take them for examination; or would a Defra technician come and collect them? At what temperature should protective clothing be washed, and should special equipment be used? Is the Minister satisfied that collaboration between the public health and agricultural sectors, the veterinary services and the general public is close enough? The general public need to know. An added concern was when I heard that avian influenza could spread to horses. The influenza A virus infects many animals, including pigs, whales, seals, birds, horses and humans, but vets have told me that they believe that the current outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza poses a risk to the horse population in countries where the disease is present. Difficulties of control would arise in creating a vaccine and incorporating it into vaccines with other strains. Also, 70 per cent of the horse population would have to be vaccinated. What is the Minister’s response to the Times article on 31 October headed ““‘Mad Cow’ rules will halt advance of flu treatment””? Scientists believe that antibodies taken from the blood of recovered flu patients could be used to treat others who develop the disease, providing a third line of defence against a pandemic after vaccines and antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu. However, the technique could not be used in the UK because of a ban on British blood products in medical therapies introduced seven years ago due to the risk of spreading variant CJD. Surely, as the pharmaceutical industry is world wide, we will have to buy immunoglobulins from countries where there is no risk, should they be needed. The H5N1 virus is not the only form of flu which might attack us. Have we enough intensive care and emergency beds, should an epidemic or pandemic emerge? If there are not enough beds for risk people at risk, such as those who have lung problems, will the Government make new money available for the PCTs, which are stretched, and for hospitals, which have already had to cut the number of beds? We should be prepared, and I hope the Minister will answer some of our questions.